A couple years ago a bald eagle moved into my neighborhood. I usually see it once or twice a month flying along the coast of the lake nearby my home. One morning, driving to work, the eagle flew along the shoreline about 50 feet above the lake right along the path I was driving, for almost 5 minutes. I was amazed that it did not flap its wings for the entire time. It soared effortlessly, like it could continue for hours.

In a familiar verse, Isaiah uses this beautiful image of the eagles’ flight to describe what our lives can be like when we put our trust in God. He writes in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Dear Lord, your power is unmeasurable to us, but you provide it to those who trust in you. Help us remember to come to you for strength, endurance, and renewal. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box

Do you know people who are just cheerful, upbeat, and cooperative all the time? Or at least all the time you encounter them? It could be a coworker, checkout person at the grocery store, the UPS or FedEx person, or a relative. Though sometimes you may wonder how they can be so upbeat all the time, isn’t it nice to interact with that person?

Paul tells the Christians at Philippi, in Philippians 2:14-15 to have this demeanor, saying, “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”

Complaining is essentially telling others about our problems, and having some indirect expectation that someone else is responsible to solve them for us. God tells us we will have challenges, to make us stronger and better, and he will help us overcome them. When we complain, we are displaying our dis-belief in God’s promises and his power.

As Paul says, we should be striving to live clean innocent lives, and be that cheerful, upbeat, cooperative person that others wonder about.

Dear Lord, You know we are weak and struggle to follow your guidance in our lives. Help us improve. Help us believe your promises of support, guidance and protection, so we will live confident, cheerful lives and be the shining lights in this world that you intend us to be. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box

We cannot see the magnetic radio waves that are in the air all around us, but we can hear the message they carry when we tune in our radios.

In a similar way, John writes in 1 John 4:12, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

We are like the radio that tunes into God’s love, translates it and delivers it to those around us. He delivers his love to the world through those who believe and do his will.

Dear Lord, we know that you are Love, and you show that love to those who trust and believe in you. Help us take the love you have given us and bring it to others, each of us in our own individual way. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box

How often we limit ourselves by believing that we cannot do something because we don’t have enough influence, enough education, enough money, enough time, etc. We don’t pursue the dreams in our hearts, or make the contributions in our communities or churches, because we think we need more or something before we can start.

I think one of the lessons of the story of Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5,000 is the process he took to do something tremendous starting with the limited resources he had. John’s account of the story in John 6:11,12 goes, “Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks to God, passed them out to the people. Afterwards he did the same with the fish. And everyone ate until full! “Now gather the scraps,” Jesus told his disciples, “so that nothing is wasted.” And twelve baskets were filled with the leftovers.”

The simple steps are 1) Believe 2) Start with what you have 3) Thank God for what you have and what he will do 4) Get started.

Dear Lord Help us remember these simple steps you taught us to follow. Help us remember there is no limit to your power, and therefore no limit to what you can do through us. We thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box

Have you seen the movies, or read books describing situations requiring complicated plans that have to be scheduled and executed precisely in order to succeed. Like the robbery in the Italian Job, or the escape in the Great Escape. Every detail, timing, step in the sequence of events, is figured out so the characters can succeed. In a similar way, God has plans for us that may include things we could never expect, but are critical to his plan.

Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Sometimes the steps in God’s plan for us include negative events that could easily discourage us or make us question whether God actually cares; like losing a job, an illness, accident, or even losing a loved one. We can never know how God is working things in our lives, to put us in the right situation to do what he calls us to do.

Isaiah writes God’s words in Isaiah 55:9, ” For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” God has a plan for each of us. Our job is to commit ourselves to following His plan, and listen for his direction.

Dear Lord, Sometimes it is difficult for us to understand what good can come from bad things that happen in our lives. In these difficult circumstances, help us maintain our faith that you are working your plans for us and will protect and prosper us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Click Here – to Receive These Messages Every Morning In Your Email Box